Story: The Lethe, pt. II

On the other side of the door stood a tall, gaunt man, nearly seven feet in height but seemingly underweight. His close-cropped brown hair and taciturn expression gave him the imposing look of a stern disciplinarian. Anyone, though, who had the fortitude to maintain eye contact with the man could see a playful flicker in his eyes, hidden underneath a well-practiced veneer of emotional discipline. This man, Lieutenant Robert Samuelson, had been chosen by Dobbins himself to be the ship’s chief of security and chief weapons officer. His reputation in all forms of combat only added to the mystique created by his formidable appearance.
“Captain on board!” he proclaimed in a strong, tenor voice. From somewhere out of Dobbins’s field of view, a boson blew a whistle, a tradition dating all the way back to sea-faring ships on ancient Earth.
As the last tones of the whistle faded, Dobbins stepped out of the shuttle and onto the ship—his ship. He looked around at the assembled crew. Two hundred officers, the best men and women in the fleet, and another three hundred enlisted personnel. All stood at attention, eyes staring straight ahead.
One figure, an elderly gentleman with innumerable medals attached to the front of his uniform, stepped forward. Reading from the handheld in front of him, he went through the history of the Hyperion’s development, describing the ship’s history and shakedown cruise in detail. Finally he said, “As of this date—July 11, 2137, I, Captain Luther Travest of the Ship Development Division, relinquish command of the EHS Hyperion, first in the class of hyperlight-capable ships built at the Lasalle Shipyards orbiting Mars.” He crisply raised his hand in a salute towards Dobbins.
Dobbins returned the salute. “I relieve you, sir.”
“I stand relieved,” Travest replied. He stepped forward to shake Dobbins’s hand while simultaneously giving him the handheld. “Captain, welcome on board. Your specific orders are contained here. Without a doubt, you have the finest ship and the finest crew in the Fleet. I leave her in your hands, take good care of her.”
Dobbins shook the older man’s hand and took the device containing his orders. As the other captain stepped back to his spot in formation, Dobbins surveyed the crew, took a deep breath, and began his welcome speech.